I have a 2 year-old who is at best energetic, fearless and fun-loving and at worst wild, crazy and untamed. Every Friday myself and a bunch of other exhausted parents get our hyperactive toddlers together for a few hours to play (and hopefully tire them out for their afternoon nap.) These couple of hours are usually filled with laughter, crying, yelling, time-outs and of course, snacks. Amidst the chaos this morning it occurred to me that although we have a lot to teach toddlers about manners, respect and kindness - there are a few things we could learn from them.
This thought first occurred to me when disciplining my daughter. I don't know how many times I had to threaten no cupcake at snack time to get good behavior out of her. Of course, it didn't even work. Why? Well, all toddlers care about is what's happening at that very moment. Threatening a cupcakeless snack time in a half hour just doesn't cut it. Now, I know it's important to teach children about consequences, but sometimes living in the moment is just what the doctor ordered. As adults we are constantly thinking ahead of ourselves. We have so much to do that it's only natural to start thinking about what's next on our list instead of focusing on what we're doing right now.
Right now I am at home with my children. I am doing what I always envisioned myself doing - being a stay-at-home mom. However, it's not under the circumstances I envisioned and for that reason I am not letting myself live in the moment and enjoy this time. (I'll spare the bad economy details, it's rough out there for a lot of people right now, but you get my drift.) The point is my 2 year-old couldn't care less if she had a vaccination-filled doctor appointment looming on her schedule in the afternoon - she won't let it ruin her morning. And that toddler mentality is something we could all benefit from now and then.
Let's face it, I can't predict the future. I don't know if I'll have this time with my kids for another two weeks or six months, but whatever my professional future holds I want to be able to look back and say that I was able to slow down, relax and enjoy my children during this time.
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